Transitioning to renewable energy in apartment buildings
by Energy Locals 10/11/2022
Electricity Providers, Sponsored Content, Utilities
by Energy Locals 10/11/2022
Electricity Providers, Sponsored Content, Utilities
This is a sponsored article from SustainabilityTracker.com member Energy Locals.
The future looks uncertain. But one thing I know to be true: apartment buildings and renewable energy will be foundational to the way we live.
That’s why, after successfully providing clean energy to residential and business customers, we’re now working with developers and owners corporations to create sustainable apartment buildings.
Allow me to explain our approach – and why you’re in a safe pair of hands with Energy Locals.
In recent years, there’s been a seismic shift in how society understands renewable energy. Today, we know it’s practical. We know it’s available. The problem is that it’s not accessible to everyone.
We have made it our business to change that.
We are a Community Energy Network (CEN) provider that retrofits existing apartments with solar panels, electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and more at fair prices.
As well as that top-down approach. We’re also working with developers and owners’ corporations on new buildings to equip them with efficient, effective renewable energy.
For starters, our model is a far cry from the traditional, fossil-fuel-reliant model. Cost-effective, renewable energy is our focus – and we are experts in the field.
We didn’t wait for state or federal Government to mandate a shift to local, renewable energy. We’ve already been helping developers with the entire transition – from upfront funding to long-term maintenance.
Renewable energy may be the way of the future, but it’s also new to many of us. Energy Locals can ease some of the pressure and uncertainty around the transition.
How? First and foremost, we fund all our renewable infrastructure ourselves.
We not only front the capital. We also personally monitor and maintain our solar panels, battery energy storage systems, Electric vehicle chargers and hot water systems.
This means that the benefits of these systems can flow straight to residents – and without them having to provide the funding up front.
Typically, owners’ corporations are on the hook to maintain their own assets. If they buy a centralised hot-water system, they then need to monitor it, service it, and cover all associated maintenance costs.
But since we fund these assets ourselves, it’s in our interest to look after them. That’s why we take care of any and all maintenance ourselves.
Ultimately, this lowers the cost of these apartments – resulting in savings for residents, too.
Power storage is playing an increasingly important role in the grid.
During the middle part of the day, there’s a lot of spare solar – so demand on the grid plummets at that time. But in the evening – as the sun disappears – demand flies up again.
Demand charges (an additional cost for using power during peak times) follow, which have three key ramifications:
For one, they’re levied by network operators and they can be expensive. Secondly, they’re hard to control. And, thirdly, equally hard to measure.
To help us with energy storage, we’re installing Tesla Powerwall. Right now, we have 315 kW installed with a further 240 kW to come shortly. That amount of storage takes demand off the grid – and reduces our customers’ energy costs.
By storing solar energy that would otherwise go to waste, we can protect you from being reliant on – and exposed to – the grid and provide the building with power when there’s a blackout.
The traditional Embedded Networks model isn’t innovation intensive. As well as our dedication to renewables, we put a focus on innovative endeavours that set us apart.
For example: we offer energy as a retail service. This allows energy providers – like RACV and Indigo Power – to provide energy the way they want to but without the expensive set-up costs. (Being a retailer is a complicated affair.)
In the background, we also handle all the admin – like compliance, billing and customer care – that comes with the messy business of energy retail.
This is a unique service we’re looking to bring to the community energy network space and would love to hear from anyone interested in what we can offer.
Our work with Tesla and Sonnen is another example of turning our words into actions. Both brands are creating a future business model for battery storage that helps make it more accessible for customers. We’re proud to support that.
We’re working towards adding 100 more Tesla Powerwalls this year. And when they’re up and running, we’ll be able to supply frequency support services to the grid to help keep it stable.
That means fewer demand charges, less reliance on fossil fuels, and greater savings for developers, owners’ corporations and residents alike.
Clean, green energy is our department – but green doesn’t always equal ethical, either. Take photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, for example. Certain PV companies:
We’re not interested in sacrificing anything (or anyone) in the name of renewable energy. That’s why the PV panels we install are from Canadian Solar – whose panels pass modern slavery tests and exceed other ethical standards.
Our vision for the future is two-fold.
On a global level, we want to loosen the fossil-fuel industry’s grip on people and businesses. It’s makes prices volatile, making it hard to budget.
On a human level, we want to simplify and speed up the transition to renewables. We achieve this by easing financial burdens for our customers and looking after our own renewable infrastructure.
Over 240 apartment buildings and tens of thousands of residents trust us with their energy needs.
In fact, ‘Customer obsessed’ is one of our core values. From construction to long-term maintenance, we look after you holistically and won’t bullshit you along the way.
It’s tough to find that kind of service anywhere else.
Are you interested in making clean, renewable energy a core part of your next project or apartment building? We’re excited to hear from you. Get in touch today.
This is an article from a SustainabilityTracker.com Member. The views and opinions we express here don’t necessarily reflect our organisation.
